The British Afternoon Tea Ritual
The British Afternoon tea ritual is said to have been invented by Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford in the early 1840s. Traditionally dinner was not served until 8:30 or 9:00 in the evening. To tide the duchess over until dinner she would order up a small meal of tea, bread, butter, cakes, tarts and biscuits at about four in the afternoon. This custom of taking tea in the early afternoon soon became the cultural norm.
Taking tea became quite a ritual and young women would meet other young women in stylish tea gardens and tea houses. In the summer the outdoor gardens, which often also had bands and dancing, remained open throughout the summer. These were upper class places that you had to pay to get into.
In 1819 the Tea Dance became popular for about fifty years. People would gather between five and six thirty pm to drink tea, eat snacks and meet members of the opposite sex.
The tea houses have practically disappeared but the custom of taking afternoon tea has not. In the thirties, Fanny Kemble, a famous actress practiced “home teas.” This is where one opened their house for one full day all day a week and entertained visitors. This was modeled o the idea of the French salon and “holding court”
Traditionally tea is served either with sugar and milk or just with lemon. For the longest time in the 1800s only the very wealthy served tea with sugar and milk as only they could afford these consumable luxuries.
To go along with the tea guests are also served little sandwiches made from eggs, chicken or ham, cakes and little tarts filled with curries. Fruit tarts of all kinds are served along with little dishes of fruit and Devon cream. Soda water, lemon ado and ginger beer were also often served as part of the tea taking ritual.
Tea in England has been the favorite beverage of the working class. Tea became plentiful and cheap in the 1840s as it was imported from Sri Lanka. Taking tea has now become synonymous with taking a break from working in the factories. It was an excuse to have cigarette or take a break. Since the forties it has also been common to serve alcohol with the tea. In high-end British hotels it is still common to be offered a glass of fine red or white wine along with high-end pastries, mousses and specialty chocolates.